Nigeria’s federal government has denied the claim that it gave each state 30 billion naira ($77 million) to tackle the food crisis in the country. The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, had accused the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, of lying about the allocation.
Akpabio had said in a television interview that the federal government had disbursed 30 billion naira to each state as part of its intervention to address the food crisis, which has been caused by factors such as insecurity, climate change, and economic recession.
However, Makinde said in a statement that his state did not receive any such amount from the federal government. He said Akpabio was either misinformed or deliberately spreading falsehood to mislead the public.
Makinde said his state had only received 7.9 billion naira ($20.3 million) from the federal government as a refund for the reconstruction of some federal roads. He said his state had spent over 15 billion naira ($38.6 million) on various agricultural projects to boost food production and security.
He also said his state had initiated a food security and emergency task force to coordinate the response to the food crisis and ensure that no one goes hungry. He urged the federal government to support the states with more funds and resources to address the food crisis.
The federal government has not officially responded to Makinde’s statement, but a source from the ministry of finance said the 30-billion-naira allocation mentioned by Akpabio was part of the 500 billion naira ($1.3 billion) stimulus package that the federal government had approved for the states in 2020 to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The source said the states were expected to use the funds for various sectors, including agriculture, health, education, and infrastructure. The source said the federal government had released the funds to the states in batches and that the states were accountable for how they spent the funds.
The food crisis In Nigeria has been a major challenge for the government and the people, as the prices of staple foods such as rice, beans, maize, and yam have skyrocketed in the past year. The government has taken some measures to increase food supply and reduce food importation, such as banning the importation of rice and maize, subsidizing fertilizer and seeds, and providing loans and grants to farmers.
However, these measures have not been enough to meet the growing demand for food in the country, which has a population of over 200 million people. The government has also faced security threats from armed groups, bandits, and kidnappers who have attacked farmers, traders, and transporters, disrupting the food supply chain.
The government has vowed to overcome the food crisis and ensure food security for all Nigerians. It has also called for more collaboration and cooperation among the federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector and civil society, to address the food crisis.
Source: The Tribune Online
